One step closer to pansies...

I thought I'd take a break from digesting grant application guidelines to report that I've gotten one step closer to starting those pansies, although I'm already two weeks late:

I found two small market paks in a "pot saucer" composed of egg carton lids -- out back and of course frozen solid because it was 18F / -7.7C last night. They're up here where it's a balmy 59F / 15C and I expect they'll be thawed out by tomorrow. Or maybe even tonight.

Before starting the workday I packaged up 15 chicken breast halves, purchased at the PathMark at an obscenely low price, in individual baggies, and put them in the freezer up here.

So I'm thawing the frozen stuff and freezing the thawed stuff.

I learned yesterday that Schlumbergera blooms go all pink instead of white, yellow, etc. if the temperature is below 15C when they're maturing. No wonder my Gold Charm and Xmas flame are so pink. I'll have to try them under Gro Lights some time, but I think I'd need a different set-up. Mine are set for a 12-hour day for the coleus, and that would not work for the Schlumbergeras. Oh, well...

I've been pretty good about not posting about politics, but...

I have to say it: when Maureen Dowd ends a column with the line "heck of a job, Barry" I'm pretty sure the honeymoon is over.

Hippeastrum

I brought in about half of them, submerged them in the kitchen sink, and kept them between 110F and 114F for the better part of an hour, I think. I hope the fungus is dead dead dead. I still have to do another big pot of them, probably in the bathtub on the second floor.